Gary Bullock, MD of Flexiroc Australia Pty Ltd and Professor Alex Remennikov, University of Wollongong – National Facility for Physical Blast Simulation (NFPBS) presented a paper on Enhanced Resilience of Critical Infrastructure Using Recycled Rubber Concrete at the Climate Smart Engineering (CSE) 2021Conference in November.
Climate Smart Engineering 2021 was a two- day global event on 16-17 November 2021 hosted by Engineers Australia. It provided a professional forum to discuss the pivotal role of engineering in delivering sustainable solutions, systems and efficiencies, which in turn provide the pathway by which business and government may avoid serious climate consequences. Former Vice President Al Gore opened the conference.
The technical presentation focused on the recent developments of Protectiflex technology in providing a sustainable and resilient building solution to tackle climate change.
Details on the Presentation session: Enhanced Resilience of Critical Infrastructure Using Recycled Rubber Concrete
Gary Bullock and Prof Alex Remennikov
The next generation of buildings must involve more adaptable and sustainable construction materials and methods to tackle climate change head on. Innovative technologies need to protect against multiple natural hazards (extreme winds, cyclones, fire) in a single product, using recycled sustainable materials. In particular, there is a need for engineers to readily incorporate these new materials and application into their resilient building designs.
The paper and presentation focused on the results of the experimental program conducted at the University of Wollongong to investigate the performance of concrete and masonry walls that were coated with ProtectiFlex protective layers. Simulated blast tests were conducted at the National Facility for Physical Blast Simulation (NFPBS) to prove that the new cementitious material that utilises recycled rubber is a sustainable and cost-effective solution against multiple physical threats and hazards to better protect the community and our critical infrastructure.
ProtectiFlex’ ductility and energy absorption is significantly enhanced over that of conventional concrete. These characteristics are essential for applications where extreme dynamic loading events are a concern. ProtectiFlex and other new technologies for its application have been developed to improve the resilience of concrete and masonry buildings to multiple hazards. One of the most innovative features of ProtectiFlex is that it can be applied as a protective coat to any standard concrete and masonry wall using spray application.
The conference paper which can be made available on request was co-authored by:
Gary Bullock is the Managing Director of Flexiroc Australia & Vice President of US based Protectiflex LLC
Khaled El-Domiaty is a Principal Engineer, Vice President and Director of Business Development of Stone Security Engineering, P.C. (Stone)
Alex Remennikov is a Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Wollongong. He is the Director of the National Facility for Physical Blast Simulation (NFPBS)
Dulara Kalubadanage is a Research Assistant at Centre for Infrastructure Protection and Mining Safety, University of Wollongong
